ICC appoints Gordon Lewis to hear case against James Anderson

The preliminary hearing, on July 22, is expected to be attended by Anderson and his legal representatives.

England has also counter-charged Ravindra Jadeja with a level-2 offense. (Source: AP)

The ICC on Thursday appointed Gordon Lewis AM as the Judicial Commissioner to hear the misconduct case against England paceman James Anderson and the preliminary hearing will be conducted on July 22, a day after the Lord’s Test concludes here.

Anderson is facing a charge under Level-3 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players, following allegations that he pushed and abused India’s Ravindra Jadeja during the lunch break on the second day of the Nottingham Test.

“His Honour Gordon Lewis AM is Australia’s representative on the ICC Code of Conduct Commission and his appointment, as per Article 5.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, was finalised after the England cricket team responded to the Notice of Charge,” ICC said in a statement.

The preliminary hearing is expected to be attended by Anderson, his legal representatives and the ICC’s Ethics and Regulatory Lawyer.

The hearing will take place via telephone conference call in which Lewis will address any preliminary issues that need to be resolved prior to setting the hearing date and will also explain the procedure that will be followed at the hearing.

All Level-3 breaches carry a penalty of between four and eight Suspension Points. Two suspension points equates to a ban of one Test, or two ODIs, depending on which type of match is scheduled next for the suspended player.

Meanwhile, details about Jadeja’s hearing will be announced in due course. Jadeja was charged by England team manager Phil Neale for a Level-2 offence, which carries a fine of between 50-100 per cent of applicable Match Fee and/or up to two Suspension Points.

The incident has snowballed into a major controversy as England accused India of targetting their pace spearhead, saying the visitors were employing the mind games to unsettle them.

The ECB also backed its speedster and filed a counter Level-2 complaint against Jadeja.

It was alleged that when players left for the lunch break, Anderson pushed and abused Jadeja.

After India filed the complaint, the tension started to build up as allegations and counter allegations flew thick and fast between the two camps.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that they did not mind players being aggressive and vocal but Anderson crossed the line. Cook said India have made a mountain of mole.

Anderson had scored a fighting 81 in England’s only innings and took four wickets in the match, including Jadeja’s in the second innings.